In 1880, H.M. Yerington, President of the Virginia &

Truckee Railroad’s new, narrow-gauge subsidiary,

the Carson & Colorado Railroad, ordered a small station to be constructed on the C&C at Wabuska.

With the U.S. Post Office, the two-story Commercial

Hotel and J. M. Feeny’s general merchandise store,

the C&C station became the hub of the small

settlement at the upper end of Mason Valley.

Deposits of copper sulfate discovered by John Ludwig in 1870 had not prompted a rush to the

region.

Earnings didn’t reach expectations on the Carson &

Colorado, and the V&T sold it to the Southern Pacific Company in March 1900. In May gold and

silver were discovered at Tonopah. In August Collis

P. Huntington died. In February 1901, Edward

Henry Harriman’s purchase of SP stock held by Huntington’s heirs brought the Southern Pacific under

Union Pacific Railroad control.

Development at Tonopah of what proved to be the second-richest silver strike in Nevada history and

discovery of gold at Goldfield in 1902 led to standard-gauging of the C&C to Tonopah Junction and the

building of what became the Tonopah & Goldfield Railroad. This generated tremendous demand for

shipment of Mason Valley hay, grain, potatoes and other agricultural products.

Because the C&C terminated at Mound House, Tonopah or Goldfield traffic had to travel Virginia & Truckee

rails to reach the SP at Reno. In 1905 the V&T was offered for sale to the SP but the latter would pay only 80

percent of the asking price, and instead bypassed the V&T.

On September 1, 1906, the SP completed a connection from Churchill on the C&C to its Central Pacific

mainline at Hazen. The tremendous increase in freight out of Wabuska influenced the SP to replace the original C&C depot with a larger station and freight shed.

A new SP subsidiary, the Nevada & California Railway, was chartered April 7, 1905, to build the Hazen cutoff

and assume ownership of the C&C. This new corporation was leased in July 1909 to the Southern Pacific

Company, which transferred the lease to the Central Pacific Railway in February of 1912. On December 2, 1912, the U.S. Supreme Court directed the Union Pacific Railroad to divest itself of Southern Pacific

Company stock. As the final link in the Wabuska depot’s chain of railroad ownership, the Central Pacific was

merged into the SP in 1959. The 24-by-80 foot, single-story, wood-frame freight and passenger station

served the Mason Valley agricultural and mining region until September 1, 1979, when the railroad closed

the station.

SAGEBRUSH

HEADLIGHT Vol. 33, No. 2 119th Ed.

THE NEVADA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM An Agency of the Division of Museums & History

Summer 2012

Relocating and Restoring the Wabuska Depot by Lara Mather, Curator of Education

Wabuska Depot, September 1946. Al Phelps photo, NSRM

Continued on Page 4

2 SAGEBRUSH HEADLIGHT

NEVADA STATE

RAILROAD MUSEUM

2180 South Carson Street

Carson City, NV 89701 775-687-6953

www.NevadaCulture.org/museums

Open 9 to 5 Fridays through Mondays except Dec. 25 and Jan.1

Admission: $6. Children under 18, and

members of the Friends of the Nevada

State Railroad Museum, admitted FREE.

The museum is an agency of the

State of Nevada

Brian Sandoval, Governor

Nevada Department of

Tourism & Cultural Affairs

Claudia Vecchio, Director

Division of Museums & History

Peter D. Barton, Administrator

Nevada State Railroad Museum

Frank Ackerman, Museum Director

Lara Mather, Curator of Education

and Editor Sagebrush Headlight

lmather@nevadaculture.org

775-687-6953 ext. 224

The Nevada State Railroad Museum publishes the Sagebrush Headlight

newsletter three times a year. The Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum distribute it as a membership benefit.

Board of Trustees, Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum

President: Ron Allen—2014

frontieradjusters@pyramid.net

Vice President: Stan Cronwall—2012

stlaine@aol.com

Secretary: Christopher MacMahon—2013

chris@cmmacmahon.com

Treasurer: Bruce Armbrust—2012

armbrust@ltcc.edu

Ken Allen—2014

David Brambley—2013

Matt Digangi –2013

Ralph Elligott—2012

Mark Owens—2014

Terms of office end in December.

Correspondence may be sent to:

Friends of NSRM

PO Box 1330 Carson City, NV 89702

NEVADA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM

2012 Summer and Fall Events

New museum hours 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Train rides (except Santa Train) 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Labor Day Weekend Saturday, Sunday & Monday, September 1, 2 & 3

Steam Train and Special Exhibits

All-inclusive tickets $12 for adults; $3 for children 4-11 and

members with membership card; children 3 or younger, free.

Saturday and Sunday, October 20 & 21

Steam Train : Adults $6; children 4-11 and members with membership card $3;

Nevada Day—Saturday, October 27

McKeen Motor Car : Adults, $10; children 4-11 and members

with membership card $5; children 3 or younger, free.

Santa Train (New Dates)

Saturday & Sunday, December 1 & 2

Saturday & Sunday, December 15 & 16 Rides begin at 9:00 AM; All seats $3

Publication Schedule

The next Sagebrush Headlight will be published in November.

The Spring 2013 issue is scheduled for March, the Summer issue will be out in June, and the Fall issue in November.

Spotlight on Jeff Van Hatten

The railroads of northern Nevada enabled settlement and the rapid, profitable exploitation of resources in a hostile environment.

Restoration Update The Glenbrook restoration has been on hold while the shop staff

put other equipment in service for the summer. When we get

back to the Glenbrook we will focus on fitting the barrel and

front tube sheet to the rear section of the boiler, repainting the

tender frame, and timing the engine. Contractor Jim Wilke is

well into the paint research and will present his findings this summer. A Reno cabinet shop is under contract to replicate the

cab.

The restoration team loads the Glenbrook’s tender tank.

The tank is being sent out to be repainted the correct color.

Summer 2012 3

FNSRM President’s Message Summer is definitely here. Our days have been very hot and the nights somewhat warmer. Since my last

writing, the long 4th of July weekend operations went off without a hitch. The museum attendance was

somewhat less* this year compared to last year. That may have been due to the economy or some other reason. I guess time will tell.

The next steam up weekend will be the Labor Day event, so hopefully it will be busy during those days. The

motorcar runs on the non-steam up weekends and volunteers are always welcome to assist with those

operations. Speaking of volunteers, a huge hearty thank you is going out for all who assisted with the 4 of

July weekend. We could not have done it without each and every one of you. So give yourselves a round of applause and thank you again.

The Board of Directors for the Friends will be undertaking a huge financial project in the coming months.

This should be announced soon and will require a substantial fundraising effort. Just as soon as the final

figures have been determined, we will be developing a campaign and the accompanying marketing effort. This is not meant to be a tease, so the effort will be to rebuild and rehabilitate our locomotive # 8, which has

been out of service for the past couple of years. It will definitely be the single largest undertaking by our

organization since we formed over twenty five years ago. It is hoped that we can accomplish this effort

within a couple of years and start using it for our regular operations. Therefore once we initiate this

program, we will be requesting every member’s assistance. So please keep this worthy project in your minds

and how you will be able to assist with it.

This message is proving to be shorter than my usual ones, as I goofed and the deadline for submission is

past and I need to get this into the editor. Thank you Lara for accepting this later than requested.

Oh by the way! Be sure to mark your calendars for September 20 – 23, 2012 for the annual Railroad History Symposium in Ely, Nevada. Mark Bassett and crew are planning an excellent program with lots of good and

interesting topics. Also, the Friends annual Board of Directors Meeting is set for October 5, 2012 during the

V & T History Conference. In Carson City. Got to go!

*Train-ride revenue was 4 percent higher last year. Admissions revenue was 51 percent higher this year—Editor

—Ronald J. Allen

Jeff was born in upstate New York in the ‘40s. He graduated

from Trinity Lutheran College in Issaquah, WA with a Bachelor

of Arts in Biblical Studies. Jeff lived all over the country, and

retired after many years as a slot-machine repairman for Bill

Harrah, Harvey Gross, and Costa Cruise Line. He also was a

longtime employee of Outdoor Ministry where he maintained

buildings and grounds and was a camp counselor in Colorado.

Jeff has a passion for motorcycles. He has owned a Black

Shadow and a Black Comet made by Phillip Vincent. He also

likes boating and has taught water skiing at Lake Tahoe. In the

winter he also snow skis. After talking with Bill Kohler and Russ

Tanner he participated in this year’s motorman class and

started volunteering. He volunteers in the annex where he enjoys giving handcar rides, and wants one day to

operate the McKeen car.

Spotlight on Jeff Van Hatten

November 2012 Sagebrush Headlight items are due Monday, October 15.

Correction from last issue: Cristol Greer’s family is from Canada. She was born in Seattle, Washington.

—Christopher Thompson

4 SAGEBRUSH HEADLIGHT

Continued from Page 1

On June 30, 1916, the railroad provided the

Interstate Commerce Commission with a list of the

depot’s contents. Historic documents such as this

provide an accurate account of what was in the

depot and used by the stationmaster. It included:

An Interstate Commerce Commission inventory of

the Wabuska Depot on August 6, 1917, included a

detailed drawing of the building that gives us a

glimpse of the interior at that time. This inventory

added the following items not shown in the 1916 document:

There was a 4-by-16 foot platform with one step

outside what is now the northeast public entrance.

The waiting room and office were similar to what exists today.

The freight room, however, was split into two

sections. An 18-by-24 foot area adjacent to the

office was designated as express space, with a 10-by

-12 foot room within. The northwest and northeast freight doors opened into this space. Outside the

northeast freight door was an 18-by-8 foot loading

platform. The remaining 28-by-24 foot area

included another room, 10 feet square. A 16-by-24

foot loading platform was outside the south end of the building.

A 1983 effort by the SP to eliminate excess property

included bulldozing all depots that were not in use.

The Company offered the Wabuska depot to the

Nevada State Railroad Museum. The Thorne Depot, northeast of Hawthorne off highway 839, was also

to be demolished. Because the depots were

identical, the museum also accepted some items at

Thorne, including the semaphore now positioned as

the train-order board on the Wabuska Depot.

Prior to moving the depot, the roof, trusses, end

walls and outhouse were removed (the outhouse

was not replaced).

July 21, 1983. Wabuska Depot in Dayton, on its way to NSRM. Daun Bohall photo, NSRM

August 1, 1983. Wabuska Depot being set on its new foundation. Daun Bohall photo, NSRM

2 standard flat-top

hardwood desks

1 standard flat-top oak desk

1 table

2 rocking chairs

5 armchairs

2 chair cushions

2 ten-foot benches 2 six-foot benches

2 caboose stoves

8 stovepipe lengths

4 stovepipe elbows

2 water coolers 2 coal hods

1 coal shovel

4 lamps

8 window shades

1 ticket case

1 fire extinguisher 1 clock

1 copy press

1 wringer

1 stationery case 1 oil tray 1 scale

2 wicker wastebaskets

1 duster

1 ticket date-stamp

1 ticket punch

4 lanterns 6 flags

1 two-wheeled

baggage truck

1 four-wheeled

baggage truck 1 ladder

3 warehouse trucks

4 fire barrels & buckets

1 fire ladder

1 broom

14-foot round rug [quantity not shown]

1 bucket

1 Rochester lamp

1 telegraph table [illegible]

1 gem clipboard

1 wire waste basket

25 tariff file cases

36 letter file cases

1 trunk gauge

1 fire extinguisher

1 hand saw

1 letter press stand 1 inspector’s lantern

100 ft. of 1-1/2” hose

w/couplings & nozzle

1 lamp

1 bulletin board (30 lb.)

1 bulletin board (60 lb.).

9 Shannon files

1 swinging

typewriter table ink well

rubber stamps, etc.

1 wire letter tray

1 ticket punch

1 baggage punch

1 sealing iron

3 [illegible] files

1 axe 1 army stretcher

150 board feet shelving

1 wall lamp

1 locker (1000 lb,)

1 locker

Summer 2012 5

The depot had to be partly dismantled in order to

pass under the many power and phone lines on its

60-mile trip. On Thursday morning July 21, Dario E. Bevilacqua and a 3-man crew began the move

from Wabuska, escorted by Sheriff’s Deputies from

Lyon County and Carson City. The trip was so time-

consuming they had to park the depot overnight

just east of Dayton. They began again at 6:00 AM on

Friday in order to avoid morning commuter traffic.

A new foundation was poured in advance and the

depot was set in place. The roof was replaced and

the building enclosed. Afterward the building sat for

three years. When the depot arrived at the museum, the Annex was the only building on the property.

At the southeast corner of the depot is the file room,

which didn’t exist at the time of the 1917 inventory.

It’s lined with zinc sheets to keep out rodents which

were unable to chew through the metal. Now the file room is used for the water-treatment system for the

water tank. Water used in a locomotive boiler is

treated to extend the life of the boiler.

In 2004 a new floor replaced the original which was worn beyond repair. Most of the flooring was about

2-3/8 inches thick except near the freight doors

where the thickness was only ¾-inch. The original

floor had remnants of the freight scale. Most of the

scale had been stolen and only the base in the floor

remained. It was removed when the floor was replaced.

The hobo-graffiti board inside the freight room was

donated to the museum by a Reno resident in 2005.

The board was recovered about 1985 from a warehouse near the railroad in Lovelock. The board

is carved with several names, nicknames and

symbols. The earliest date on the board is 1902; the

latest, 1912.

When the museum opened on May 31, 1980, only

about 50 feet of track extended from the annex. In

1985, Civil Engineer Bob Fuller completed a survey of the property for an extended track system.

In February 1986 about a mile of track donated by

the Union Pacific Railroad arrived at NSRM. Union

Pacific also provided two flatbed trucks and a hi-

railer crane to deliver about 2 miles of 85-pound ties, spikes, bolts, joint bars, and tie plates; and ten

switches.

Contrary to a widespread misconception, prison

inmates did not build any of the museum’s original trackage. A decade after the museum opened,

however, inmates assisted Greg Corbin and then-

contractor Rick Stiver with construction of track

into the new Jacobson Interpretive Center.

In December 1986 the Brierley Construction Company of Sparks, Nevada, contracted to lay the

track linking the depot to the rest of the property.

Fill dirt for the track came from the site of the east

parking structure of the Ormsby House. The first

rail was spiked January 14, 1987; the last, on May 13, 1987.

With the operation of a steam locomotive, it was

time for a water tower. In December, 1986, the

museum successfully applied for a $12,000 grant

from the Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation of Reno for the construction of a water tower. The tower was

designed by Chris de Witt based on detailed records

from the Interstate Commerce Commission. The

water tower is a two-thirds size Franktown replica

with a 4,500 gallon capacity. The drawings for the foundation and water tower were approved by

architect Ralph Eissmann. The spout and foot valve

were built by Chris de Witt.

In an effort to re-create a railroad environment

around the depot, the Nelson house was moved onto the property in 1985. The house was built by Louis

Nelson in the 1920s. It was located at 211 West 8th

Street, just east of the Carson Station Casino.

After purchasing the lot to build a parking lot, the casino owner donated the house to the State of

Nevada for addition to the museum. Although the

Nelson house was not associated with a railroad,

the donation was accepted because the house was

from the appropriate time period and was the right

size for the location. Shaw construction volunteered to move the house to the museum grounds.

October 15, 1985. Tommy Barns restoring the waiting room. Daun Bohall photo, NSRM

6 SAGEBRUSH HEADLIGHT

The Nevada Copper Belt

Railroad and its Influence on the Wabuska Depot The town of Greenfield, named for its agriculture,

changed its name Yerington in an attempt to

persuade H.M. Yerington to build the Carson &

Colorado Railroad through

their community in 1881. Though their flattery was not

successful, the town eventually

got a railroad from Wabuska to

the Ludwig mine.

Although copper mining dates back to the 1860s in the

Mason Valley, renewed activity

late in 1901 influenced the

push for a railroad. In 1909

the newly organized Nevada Copper Belt Railroad urged

citizens to buy $50,000 in

bonds. When the initial pitch

suggested the shortest route

would go directly from

Wabuska to the Ludwig mine, the citizens of Yerington asked

for a loan large enough for the

route to take the trains to

Yerington and the farms of

Mason Valley, then west to the mine.

Five banks pledged $22,000 in

bonds and construction began

at Wabuska on September 8,

1909. The first train reached the station for Yerington, one

mile from town and across the

Walker River, on January 14, 1910. The Nevada

Copper Belt line reached Ludwig in October of 1911.

Copper ore was not the first shipment from Ludwig.

Two cars of gypsum went to the Western Gypsum

Company in Reno on October 28. The first shipment

of copper ore went to the Thompson smelter north

of Wabuska on December 1.

The wealth of the NCB depended heavily on the

Nevada Douglas, Mason Valley, and Bluestone

mines. The price of copper regulated traffic from the

mines. At the start of World War I copper prices

declined, closing the Thompson smelter.

Purchase of the Bluestone mine in 1917 by a new

corporation rejuvenated activity on the NCB. Copper

Prices rose later in the war, and the smelter was

reopened from February 1917 through February

1919. The new owner of the mine was able to increase productivity enough to warrant a spur from

the mine to the NCB mainline. During the 1920s,

the smelter was once again active when ore was

hauled in from California. In 1929, the Thompson

smelter was permanently closed and dismantled.

Over a period of 35 years,

the NCB used three self-

propelled passenger cars to

shuttle Thompson and

Wabuska children to school in Yerington and Mason

and to transport business

travelers to Yerington,

Mason and Ludwig. Car No.

21, built by the Hall-Scott

Company in 1911, is preserved at the California

State Railroad Museum. Car

No. 22 (Hall-Scott, 1914) is

awaits restoration at NSRM.

In dry weather, Wabuska-to

-Yerington auto stage lines

competed with the NCB’s all

-weather service. Yerington

passengers rode the C.J.

Monahan auto stage the mile to town from the NCB.

In 1919 the railroad ran

three trips daily between

Wabuska and Mason and one daily Mason to Hudson.

Mason-Hudson service had

been reduced to three trips

a week by 1922.

Parts of the railroad ceased to operate as the years passed: the line from Ludwig to Hudson closed in

July 1933; from Wabuska to Thompson closed in

August 1935. Business increased during World War

II but not enough to be profitable. Passenger service

on the NCB ended in 1945 and freight service in 1946. The NCB’s last train operated on March 24,

1947. afterward the Virginia & Truckee Railway

acquired NCB steam locomotive No. 5 and caboose

No. 3. The caboose has been restored to operating

condition at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

Myrick, David F. 1962. Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California: Vol. I – The Northern Roads. Berkeley: Howell-North Books. Reprinted 1990,

Reno: University of Nevada Press. pp. 214 – 229.

The route of the Nevada Copper Belt, with mines and

towns it reached. Myrick: Railroads of Nevada.

Summer 2012 7

The Wabuska Depot Station Master from 1948 to

1975 was John Richard (Dick) Bails. His son, Gene Bails, has fond memories of growing up in Wabuska

and recently talked with me. Gene’s stories give us

a glimpse of what daily life was like for the railroad

station master and his family.

Gene’s mother told him a story about using the depot to dry their laundry. The depot stove was

located in the waiting room. When the depot was

closed for the day, she would string up laundry

lines in front of the stove and hang the children’s

diapers to dry. First thing in the morning, Gene’s mother would remove the laundry before the depot

was open to the public.

Gene also remembers his father getting rid of bats

that had taken over the attic in the depot. Sulfur

was commonly shipped from Canada to the mines in Mason Valley. Dick got the idea to take a bucket

of sulfur and set it in the middle of the depot freight

room. He opened all of the doors and lit the sulfur.

He not only cleared out all of the bats, but almost

cleared out the town of Wabuska from the stench of the burning sulfur.

When it was time for Gene’s father to receive his

annual raise, three executives from the Southern

Pacific Railroad would be sent to negotiate the

amount. During the height of its time, the Wabuska depot was the number one money earner in the

west for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Gene’s

father simply asked for one percent of what came

across his desk. The three railroad executives

answered, “that would be more than the three of us

make combined.”

Because the Wabuska Depot was so busy the entire

Bails family would help with the workload. Both

Gene and his mother would help Dick type the

freight bills, sometimes working until midnight.

Each freight bill had four copies plus carbons. One copy would go with the train, one went to the

division office in San Francisco. The other two

copies would stay at the depot.

Every few years Gene would load a truck with the freight bills and take them to their house across the

street from the Depot. Across a road, behind their

house they had dug a pit where he would dump the

paperwork to be burned. One day during the

summer between his sophomore and junior year,

Gene lit the freight bills as usual.

On this occasion a dust devil blew over the pit and

caught a few burning pieces of paper. The burning

paper was blown to a field full of sagebrush and

caught fire. As the fire began to spread, Gene remembers his only concern being that the fire was

heading to the garage where his car was stored.

Luckily, the car was saved.

Growing up in Wabuska: an interview with Gene Bails By Lara Mather, Curator of Education

Photos courtesy of the Bails Family Collection

Station Master Dick Bails at work in Wabuska Depot.

Gene poses with his mother and sister Lezlie in front of the Wabuska Depot, winter 1951.

PRSRTSTD

U.S. Postage

PAID Carson City, NV

89701

Permit No. 15

4216

NEVADA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM 2180 South Carson Street

Carson City, Nevada 89701-5999

775-687-6953

Address Service Requested

Volunteers Wanted The Nevada State Railroad Museum Needs Your Help

Support the museum through the donation of your time.

Volunteers are needed for the Museum Store, Admissions Desk, Annex Building,

Depot Ticket Sales; and to lead Tours. No prior experience necessary.

Shifts are Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday Mornings from 9 AM to 1 PM or Afternoons from 1 to 5 PM

Please contact Lara Mather, Curator of Education (775) 687-6953 ex 224 or lmather@nevadaculture.org

On May 23, 2012, The National Park System Advisory Board

recommended to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar that he designate Virginia & Truckee Railway McKeen Motor Car No. 22 as a

National Historic Landmark. The nomination awaits Secretary Salazar’s review and approval.